We accept submissions of all mediums. Pieces should be sent via email to aftertoucheditors [at] gmail [dot] com. With your submission, include a cover letter including a quick explanation of how your piece is ekphrasis, along with your bio (including your social media handles, link to your website, and anything else we might need to know). 

Simultaneous submissions of prose and poetry are accepted, but please notify us if your work is accepted elsewhere. Written pieces that have been previously published in print are eligible, as long as you retain the rights to the work and a link to the prior edition is included in your cover letter. 

All rights to the work return to the creator following publication. We aim to respond to submissions within 3 months; however, it may take us a bit longer. If you haven’t heard back from us within this timeframe, please feel free to reach out via email. We will not respond to submission inquiries via Instagram DMs. 

There are no submission fees. Submissions are rolling (until stated otherwise). We are not currently able to pay contributors, but we hope to do so in the future. We nominate for Pushcart, Best of the Net Prizes, and Best New Poets. 

A full list of guidelines for different forms can be found below; however, if there’s something that you’d like to submit but are uncertain about the form, feel free to shoot us an email. 

Prose: We accept creative nonfiction, critical nonfiction, and fiction. We do not have any limits on form or length but are unlikely to publish pieces over 10,000 words. Attachments should be sent as Word Docs or as a PDF. When possible, the text should be double spaced and in a 12 point font (with experimental pieces taking the shape that best supports the form). Include your full name, address, and email address on the first page.

We are interested in all types of prose but especially enjoy experimental forms, with bonus points if it’s been rejected from BOMB. We also welcome translations, but the translator must secure permissions. Below is a list of the types of prose we tend to gravitate towards, but this isn’t exclusive. If you think we might be interested, send it our way. 

•  Creative nonfiction: personal essay, memoir, lyric essay, braided essay, hermit crab essay, travel writing, nature writing, food writing, music writing, reportage, flash, micro
•  Critical nonfiction: analyses of specific movements, subcultures, genres, etc, literary criticism, art criticism, film criticism, cultural criticism, academic writing
•  Fiction: short story, flash, micro, autofiction. We are not interested in pieces that are solely fanfiction; however, we do appreciate experiments with form.

Interviews / Reviews: We accept submissions of interviews with artists (or any sort) and reviews of art (of any kind). We do not have any limits on form or length but are unlikely to publish pieces over 10,000 words. Attachments should be sent as Word Docs or as a PDF. When possible, the text should be double spaced and in a 12 point font. Include your full name, address, and email address on the first page. Interviews should also contain the full name, address, and email address of the artist being interviewed. 

Occasionally, our editorial staff will also interview contributors. If this is something that you would be interested in, please indicate so in your cover letter. 

Poetry: We accept poetry packets with a maximum of 5 pieces. (If you have more poems that you would like to submit, send it as a separate packet.) Attachments should be sent as Word Docs of PDFs. Each poem should appear on its own page. Include your full name, address, and email address on the first page. We also welcome translations, but the translator must secure permissions.

Hybrid: We are very interested in pieces that don’t quite fit in a specific genre / form. Written pieces can be submitted as a Word Doc or PDF. Videos can be sent via links to unlisted (or listed) YouTube videos. If you have something in mind but are unsure if we’d be interested, shoot us an email. (It’s likely that we will be very interested if it’s weird, lol)

Audio: Music can be submitted as an MP3 file or via link if your work appears on YouTube, Spotify, Soundcloud, or other streaming platforms. Songs that are selected will be published in conversation with written pieces. All genres and langagues will be considered for publication; however, if a piece isn’t in English, please provide a quick translation of the lyrics in the cover letter. This allows our editorial staff to pair your work with thematically similar work. We will work with musicians to ensure that the highest quality possible is preserved on Aftertouch. 

Visual: Pieces of visual art should be sent as a single high resolution PDF or via link if your work appears on your personal website, as a part of museum collections, or on other platforms. Please send packets with a maximum of 5 pieces as a single PDF. (If you have more pieces that you would like to submit, send it as a separate packet.) If any of these pieces are currently available for purchase (either as the original or as a print), mention this in your cover letter. When published, pieces that are accepted will include a link to purchase in your creator bio.